How I hotwired a furnace

I just got back from visiting my sister in freezing cold Saskatoon. Her basement suite doesn't have a thermostat, so choosing the temperature of the entire house is left to the weirdos living upstairs. Since they weren't even home this weekend, the place was too cold.

So naturally we hotwired the furnace because, being in the basement, we had access to it.

If you're ever in a similar situation...

Pop off the main panel and peer inside. You'll see the little pilot light burning away and some simple wiring.

If it's a simple old furnace, there will be two little wires going up into the house (to the thermostat). If it's a fancy new one with a digital thermostat or something, all bets are probably off.

Since a mechanical thermostat is basically just a switch, all you need to do is short it out to close the circuit. When the circuit is closed, the electric gas valve gets power and opens, and the burners fire up.

When the house is warm enough, you un-short out the wires leading to the thermostat, and everything is back to normal. Ta da!

AND REMEMBER: This is probably dangerous so try it at your very own risk. I take no responsibility for your future burnt down house. Don't trust anything you read on the internets.